C is for Comfrey

Comfrey, Symphytum genus, is one of those plants that you either love or hate. it is quite aggressive, spreading quickly by underground runners and able to smother less assertive plants. Now that I have it, I am sure I”ll never be rid of it. But if I’m going to have weeds, they might as well be useful! Maybe the comfrey will even smother some of the weeds I don’t want!l

Comfrey draws nutrients from deep in the soil and accumulates them in its tissues. It can be used to enrich compost and to make fertilizer. Permaculture books recommend using it in guilds with fruit trees. My friend and neighbor reports much more vigorous growth of young fruit trees underplanted with comfrey compared with those growing without comfrey.

It has medicinal uses, too. I’ve used it to make poultices to treat sprains and bruises. One of its folk names is boneset.

It also has beautiful flowers and attracts bees and other pollinators.

The goal this spring is to transplant lots of comfrey to some of my problem slopes and also establish it under the rest of the fruit trees. I have realized that I need to work on ways to minimize my energy input and let the plants do the work for me. I am hoping comfrey will be one of my hardest workers!